I search the Internet for answers to computer technical problems that I encounter. When the Internet does not supply me with an answer, I research one on my own. Then, I document the answer here so others can find it.
Also, for your benefit, this stupid blog name makes a great mnemonic.

2009-09-08

rsync-style backup for Windows.

My work laptop has Windows as its OS. Backing up files from local disk to removable media has been surprisingly difficult.

ntbackup.exe on XP tries to put all files into a single file on the removable media, and apparently it has a 4 GB file size limit. Useless. It actually asked me to change tapes!

All the rsync builds I've worked with are limited, flawed, or have Linux-like requirements that I simply do not care to attempt in Windows.

Someone at MS noticed this vacuum, and built something to fill it: SyncToy. It is just about perfect for such a utility on this platform. Now I can finally back my laptop to a USB drive.

UPDATE:

In Windows 7, the Backup and Restore Control Panel creates the backup as a series of zip files.

While this is nice for saving space, I cannot browse the files in Explorer. Browsing the files from within the Backup and Restore Control Panel is possible, but this is not as direct as opening an Explorer windoe.

I will continue to experiment with the Windows 7 built-in backup tool, but SyncToy has the simple straightforwardness that I am looking for.